Preparation of monodisperse polystyrene/silica core-shell nano-composite abrasive with controllable size and its chemical mechanical polishing performance on copper

► A novel silica-coated polystyrene nano-composite abrasive for copper chemical mechanical polishing applications was prepared. ► The slurry containing polystyrene/SiO2 composite abrasive exhibited better surface quality than that containing silica. ► The composite abrasive exhibited little higher material removal rate than traditional silica abrasive.